Review | Book review: 12 of Alan Bennett’s brilliant plays, dramatised for radio
Twelve of Bennett’s most famous stage works are recast for voices only – and what a treat when those voices belong to some of British theatre’s biggest stars from Maggie Smith to John Gielgud
By Alan Bennett (read by various)
BBC
Can anything be, well, more English? After opening with the sound of a church organ, a plummy (and very BBC) voice introduces Alan Bennett’s first major play, Forty Years On, with a cast including Sir John Gielgud, Paul Eddington and Bennett himself. Among this collection are Bennett’s most famous theatrical works rendered for voices alone: The History Boys, The Madness of George III, The Lady in the Van and A Question of Attribution. Each work examines, in its own understated way, England’s relationship to the wider world, whether it is the formation of the British empire (The Madness) or its part in the cold war (A Question of Attribution). A delight for every second of its 12 hours and 39 minutes.
